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The Miracle of the Sun, 1917: Ancient Angels at Fatima? The Possible Common Origins of Star Gods

If the apparitions which are said to have been witnessed at Fatima in 1917 had taken place centuries earlier they might have been described as Fairy encounters or visions of spirits and demons. Today, though, we might describe them as UFO events or perhaps messages from other dimensions. That is, of course, if we take these encounters as legitimate, physical experiences. The phenomenon of a cultural and religious paradigm filtering, then defining, the meaning of anomalous events is a bias that is often purposeful and deliberate for many reasons. Control and fear are just two of them.

In early spring 1916 three local shepherd children, Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto reported that they were visited by an angel on several occasions. These visits later became known as and attributed to the Roman Catholic title - Our Lady of Fatima, or the Virgin Mary. As word of this spread, thousands of people flocked to the area to visit the children and the location of the event. It was said the visitor had promised a miracle for October 13 the following year.

During the Miracle of the Sun event on October 13, 1917, over 80,000 people witnessed an event at Fatima where a bright disc-like object spun through the sky and swooped over the crowds below. The disc radiated colored lights and is said to have emitted heat before returning to the clouds.

Spiritual Beliefs and the Supernatural

Perhaps one of the most curious factors relating to the Fatima apparitions, for example, is that they were seemingly predicted by a group of psychic’s months in advance. While this leads us no further in terms of an explanation for the visions, it does allow us to understand how the events at Fatima have been shaped to suit a particular religious interpretation as opposed to a stranger, and less definable series of encounters.

The Catholic Church views psychic predictions and the occult as belonging to the demonic realm so it is only natural that they would have wanted to suppress the claims of psychics who documented their communications with a deity, which the church would later identify as the Virgin Mary.

But before looking into these prophecies, which were printed in Portuguese newspapers months in advance of the Fatima events, we should first understand the social climate which existed in Portugal at this time.

Portugal at the beginning of the 20th century was a Catholic country but the establishment of the Portuguese First Republic in 1910 resulted in a period of instability and religious persecution. Bear in mind, also, that the shadow of the Inquisition still weighed heavily upon European populations, with the last ‘witch’ execution having taken place only in 1826.

Behind Portugal’s orthodox exterior, folk and spiritualist beliefs had always existed hand in hand with Christianity, leading to a strange mix of Pagan and Catholic saints and Holy figures often being interchanged depending on the feast day or time of the year. This was not always expressed openly, however.

The area around Fatima has a long history of Pagan practices. The local folklore contains many stories of fairies and otherworldly encounters. The rocky terrain and mountainous area is similar to the Benbulbin area of western Ireland which also has a long tradition of a supernatural and mysterious people called ‘The Gentry’. These fairy-like beings are said to sometimes interact with humans, offering advice or warnings. At other times they seem to look upon humans with disdain, often hinting that they are in some way superior and more evolved.

Portugal has a similar tradition which describes a race of supernatural women called the Moura Encantada who were said to be the guardians of doorways into other dimensions, as well as into the earth itself. These women were also said to be able to spin the sun, which connects intimately to the final apparition at Fatima, where thousands of witnesses watched a glowing oval of light spin through the sky.

Predictions of Something Trancendental

It was in the anarchic social climate of traditional Catholicism and progressive politics that a group of Portuguese spiritualists began to receive messages or ‘transmissions’ predicting a series of extraordinary events which would take place on May 13th, 1917. (This was the day the Fatima apparitions began.) The mediums were said to be so affected by the messages they were channelling that they decided to document them in newspaper ads and articles so that nobody could later say that they had not been authentic.

David Halpin

David Halpin is a writer from Carlow Ireland David has also worked as a sound engineer and museum researcher In his spare time David compiles local folklore and documents alignments between ancient monuments near his home in Ireland and is... Read More

Comments

Well I was with you until you wandered off topic with the painting of Guadalupe. It is, afterall, just a painting on fine linen not an Aztec peasants tilma, and one that’s been provably altered over the centuries. It’s likely a copy of the flag Columbus flew. Historically, there is no one named Juan Diego, nor a tomb, and the known Bishop of that time period doesn’t even mention the event in his writings. The story only comes to light 50-75 years after his death. Compared with the mass witnessing of a light disc moving about the sky at Fatima - The two are not even remotely similar. One has possibilities, whether spiritual or extraterrestrial. The other (Guadalupe) is just a hoax; Something concocted by the Chirch to supplant the pre-existing Aztec shrine of Tonazin on that same location.

It is also very telling that the ultimate description of the vision of Fatima was altered as well to place it more in line with the Catholic church’s desires: from 3 feet tall and bald to a full grown woman with hair. Quite a leap (of faith).

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